Morning Bulletin: March 6, 2012

Today is Day 42 of the Utah Legislative Session. With three days left, we’ve got a lot to cover in the Senate. Here’s what’s happening:

* The House sent its priority list over yesterday evening. All bills read not already on the Second Reading Calendar were put at the bottom. You can watch the reading calendars from the Legislature’s website.
* We have three floor times scheduled for today. However, depending on how much work needs to be done, evening floor time may be cancelled. Stream it live.
-Morning: 8 a.m. – Noon
-Afternoon: 2:10 – 4 p.m.
-Evening: 5 p.m. – As long as needed
*Executive Appropriations Committee meets at 4:10 p.m. in room 210.
*Watch live press access time on Facebook, and participate by texting your questions for the senators, today after floor time. Watch Facebook and Twitter for the starting times and where to text your questions.

In the Media Highlights:

State lawmakers think Utah can do a better job of managing Medicare and Medicaid funds than the federal government. “I’ve never seen anything Washington touches that we can’t do more effectively and more efficiently,” said Adams during debate on the Senate floor. Read more at the Standard Examiner, Deseret News,The Salt Lake Tribune,and The Daily Herald.

The Senate voted 29-0 Monday to advance SB286 which would let high school students know if they are truly ready for college, and if not, what they need to do to correct it. Senator Urquhart said colleges do such testing when students arrive, but he would like to move that up to avoid the time and expense of taking remedial classes. Read more in the The Salt Lake Tribune.

Utahns soon might be able to give more money to schools when filing their income tax returns “I would rather have fewer dollars as long as those dollars are distributed more equitably,” Thatcher said. “I believe having inequities in our education system based on the affluence of the area where you live is absolutely unacceptable.” Read More at The Salt Lake Tribune.